The Voice of Cities and Regions
in the UNFCCC Climate Process

Welcome to the home of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency (LGMA)

Support for Global South #Stocktake4ClimateEmergency events

Under the banner of #Stocktake4ClimateEmergency, hundreds of cities, towns, and regions are invited to host events throughout 2023 that provide an official contribution to the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake — essentially turning their city halls and regional parliaments into mini-COP venues.

Events should be inclusive, conclude before COP28, and follow the structure provided in our #Stocktake4ClimateEmergency Toolkit.

We will also be supporting 10 cities or regions across the Global South to host their local and subnational stocktake events – apply by 28 September.
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SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL SOUTH EVENTS

Keep up-to-date with the LGMA

The LGMA monthly webinars and monthly bulletins prepare our constituency for engaging in the global advocacy agenda throughout the year and in the leadup to COP28. Join LGMA Focal Point, ICLEI Director of Global Advocacy Yunus Arikan, who will orient local and regional governments on the important progress in the global climate negotiations.

Webinars offer two time options. When subscribing to the Bulletin, you’ll be asked to simply update your preferences if your email address is already in our database.

Webinars

Bulletin

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The LGMA at COP28 showing #MultilevelActionDelivers!

With the Paris Agreement having entered into force, the LGMA is ushering in the agreement’s second phase by cementing collaboration across levels of government as the mechanism for achieving full-scale implementation. COP28 — hosted by the United Arab Emirates from 30 Nov to 12 Dec, 2023 — will see important milestones for the first Global Stocktake, adaptation, loss-and-damage finance, and more.

Join the LGMA in our journey toward COP28, where we will advocate to fully operationalize the SURGe initiative, account for local voices in the #Stocktake4ClimateEmergency, and accelerate UNFCCC engagement with local governments throughout the year.

MORE ABOUT LGMA ATCOP28

Multilevel Action Pavilion at COP28

The Multilevel Action Pavilion will provide a home in the Blue Zone for local and regional governments throughout the two weeks of COP28 through 70+ sessions organized by 25+ partners.

We are already starting initial plans for the LGMA Multilevel Action Pavilion at COP28! Are you interested in hosting an event at the pavilion?

LET US KNOW

From Sharm El Sheikh to Dubai: The Road to COP28

Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) Initiative

It’s clear that we need effective multi-level governance to transform cities. To achieve this vision, the COP27 Presidency has launched the SURGe Initiative with the objective to enhance and accelerate local and urban climate action through multi-level governance, engagement, and delivery through five integrated tracks, contributing to achieving the Paris Climate Goals and Sustainable Development Goals.

The SURGe Initiative is developed in collaboration with UN-Habitat and facilitated by ICLEI and has been endorsed by 70+ global partners.

ABOUT SURGe
ENDORSE SURGe

How we work

The LGMA has served as the voice of cities and regions in global processes since were designated an official United Nations constituency group at the 1992 UN Earth Summit. We advocated for local governments at the first climate COP in 1995 and continue to achieve advocacy success for multilevel action across the climate, nature, and desertification agendas. Learn about our advocacy channels and get involved!

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Advocacy outcomes

COP27: Outcomes from Sharm El Sheikh 2022

COP27 puts loss-and-damage on the agenda, and in two firsts, the COP27 Presidency creates a Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation (SURGe) Initiative while a Climate & Urbanization Ministerial brings national urban ministers to a climate COP.

COP26: Outcomes from Glasgow 2021

During the Glasgow conference, all parties were focused on keeping the 1.5°C target alive through raising NDCs’ ambition. These are the specific references to the role of subnationals, including cities, towns and regions, in the outcomes of COP26.

COP25: Outcomes of Madrid 2019

During the Chilean COP held in Madrid, the focus was on building up the ambition for revised NDCs in 2020 (now 2021). Local governments showed their aligned actions and commitments to advance towards this important deadline.

COP24: 2018 Katowice enshrines Talanoa Dialogues

COP24 in Katowice invited Parties to consider the outcome, inputs and outputs of the Talanoa Dialogue in preparing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and in their efforts to enhance pre-2020 implementation and ambition.

COP23: Talanoa Dialogues of 2017

Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues were developed as a bottom-up, pro-active and immediate response to the COP23 decision in 2017 to convene year-long, inclusive Talanoa Dialogues.

COP21: Paris Agreement recognizes the role of cities in 2015

The Paris Agreement, in its preamble, recognized the importance of the engagement of all levels of government. The fact that 185 Parties out of 197 Parties to the UNFCCC ratified the Paris Agreement established a strong indication of the momentum towards strengthening multilevel governance on climate action.

News and analysis

Insights from LGMA members and partners.

MORE BLOGS

LGMA advocates in action

  • "Oslo is the electric vehicle capital of the world and that has been made possible with the close cooperation of the national government so that it is cheaper to buy electric/hybrid vehicles and at the local level it is made easier to use. Planning for the city needs to involve the citizens of the city actively – which also helps raise awareness of the challenges being faced. For plans to be implemented they should be concrete and measurable." Watch the entire Climate Studio interview.

    Mr. Raymond Johansen, Governing Mayor of Oslo, Norway
    Mr. Raymond Johansen, Governing Mayor of Oslo, Norway

  • "Cities are taking on the standards of the Paris agreements in order to be able to meet them ourselves... We want a just transition, and the social impacts that occur during a quick transition can't effect those who need the most help." Watch the entire Climate Studio interview.

    Mr. William Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, USA
    Mr. William Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, USA

  • "Collaboration among local goverments can push national governments forward towards de-carbonized societies." Watch the entire Climate Studio interview.

    Ms. Eri Nakajima, Vice Governor of Nagano Prefecture, Japan
    Ms. Eri Nakajima, Vice Governor of Nagano Prefecture, Japan

  • "In every council we do, we make sure that every sector is well represented: youth, academia, religion, persons with disabilities, elderly, urban poor... because lacking one sector would make our action slower." Watch the entire Climate Studio interview.

    Ms. Stephany Uy Tan, Councillor of City of Catbalogan, Philipinnes
    Ms. Stephany Uy Tan, Councillor of City of Catbalogan, Philipinnes

  • "I think it is necessary for everyone to recognize that we are in a climate emergency, and I am not afraid to use the expression climate emergency." Watch the entire Climate Studio interview.

    Mr. Geraldo Julio de Mello Filho, Mayor of Municipality of Recife, Federative Republic of Brazil
    Mr. Geraldo Julio de Mello Filho, Mayor of Municipality of Recife, Federative Republic of Brazil

  • "No city or region in the world is immune to disasters anymore... The impacts are different, but the solutions should be collaboratively developed." Watch the entire Climate Studio interview.

    Mr. Yunus Arikan, Head of ICLEI Global Policy and Advocacy
    Mr. Yunus Arikan, Head of ICLEI Global Policy and Advocacy

Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues at COP24